Ostomy pouch with bias members and closure means

ABSTRACT

A drainable ostomy pouch having sidewalls of flexible sheet material defining a cavity therebetween and a downwardly-extending neck portion terminating in a discharge opening that is closed by folding the neck portion upwardly and opened by unfolding the neck portion downwardly. Each of the sidewalls of the neck portion is provided with a transversely-extending bias member that is formed of stiff but flexible, springlike plastic material. The bias members are normally flat so as to be in straight parallel closed condition but are openable under inwardly-directed finger pressure applied to their opposite ends to cause them to bow outwardly away from each other. The pouch also includes a two-part fastening system for holding the neck portion in upwardly-folded condition, the system including a first fastener part located along the outer surface of one of the sidewalls of the neck portion and a second fastener part located along the outer surface of the other sidewall of the neck portion, the fastener parts having outwardly-projecting interengageable locking elements that are brought into interlocking engagement when the neck portion is fully folded.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patentapplication Ser. No. 60/355,489 filed Feb. 8, 2002.

BACKGROUND

Drainable ostomy pouches are well known as shown, for example, in NolanU.S. Pat. No. 3,523,534 and Jensen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,659. Sucha pouch typically has flat opposing sidewalls secured together alongtheir edges and defining a chamber for receiving body waste material.One of the walls is provided with a stoma-receiving opening, and meansare provided for securing the pouch to a patient's abdomen so that wastedischarge from the stoma is received in the cavity. At its lower end,the drainable pouch has a discharge opening for draining waste material,usually provided at the end of a narrowed neck portion. Closure means isprovided for maintaining the discharge opening in sealed condition untilsuch time as waste material is to be drained from the pouch. The closuremeans may take the form of a clamp, as in the aforementioned Nolanpatent, or some device for securing the neck portion in upwardly-rolledcondition. As will be appreciated, conventional wire ties or wraps havealso been used for that purpose.

A drainable pouch is reusable following periodic emptying of wastematerial, but cleaning is necessary prior to reuse so that effectivesealing can be assured and odors emanating from the resealed pouch canbe avoided. Users often encounter difficulty and discomfort inunsealing, emptying, cleaning and resealing drainable pouches because ofthe direct exposure to waste material and because the manipulations mayrequire greater dexterity than a patient, particularly an elderlypatient, can provide. Adding to the problem is the fact that residualamounts of solid and/or liquid waste matter at the lower end of adrainage pouch tends to block or hold the walls of the pouch together,making cleaning of the inside surfaces adjacent the drain opening evenmore difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The drainable ostomy pouch of the invention has conventional sidewallsof flexible sheet material joined along their edges to define adownwardly extending neck portion terminating in a discharge opening.The discharge opening is closed by folding the neck portion upwardly andopened by folding the neck portion downwardly for draining the contentsfrom the cavity. Each of the sidewalls of the neck portion is providedwith a transversely-extending bias member in the form of a closure stripof flexible but stiff or springlike polymeric material. The stripslocated along opposite sidewalls adjacent to or near the discharge theopening are normally flat and disposed in straight parallel closedrelation but are openable under inwardly directed finger pressureapplied to opposite ends thereof. By applying inwardly directed fingerpressure, the bias members or closure strips are caused to be bowed awayfrom each other to hold the discharge opening in an open condition fordraining the contents from the cavity.

In one form of the drainable ostomy pouch, the bias members arelaterally offset from one another whereas in another form of the pouch,the bias members substantially conform in size and shape and they extendcontinuously or uninterruptedly from one joined edge to the other. Inyet another form of the drainable ostomy pouch, the bias memberssubstantially conform in size and shape but extend less than the entiredistance from one joined edge to the other, such members being centeredrelative to the discharge opening.

In another respect, the drainable ostomy pouch has a discharge openingthat is placed in closed condition by folding the pouch in a firstdirection (away from the wearer's body) and is placed in an opencondition by unfolding the pouch in a second, opposite direction. Atwo-part fastener is provided for selectively holding the dischargeopening in the closed condition, and it includes a first part associatedwith the pouch generally adjacent to or near the discharge opening and asecond part associated with the pouch spaced further from the dischargeopening than the first part. More specifically, the second fastener partis spaced from the discharge opening to require folding the pouch untilthe first fastener part comes into confronting relation with the secondfastener part for engagement therewith.

In yet another respect, the drainable ostomy pouch has a two-partfastener associated with a neck portion leading to the pouch's dischargeopening. The fastener comprises a first fastener strip with lockingmeans along its outer surface disposed in a first position relative tothe discharge opening and a second fastener strip with interengagablelocking means disposed in a second position relative to the dischargeopening. Most advantageously, the fastener strips each may have an arrayof identical mushroom-shaped locking elements along its outer surface,and the neck portion is foldable at least twice for causing the elementsof the first and second fastener strips, located along opposite sides ofthe neck, to be brought into interlocking engagement to hold the neckportion in folded condition.

Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following specification when considered in view of the accompanyingdrawings.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a drainable ostomy pouch havingbias members in the form of laterally offset flexible closure strips.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the drainable ostomy pouch of FIG.1.

FIG. 3A is a schematic front elevational view of the neck portion of apouch having laterally offset closure strips.

FIG. 3B is an end elevational view of the laterally offset strips ofFIG. 3A in closed condition.

FIG. 3C is an end elevational view of the laterally offset strips ofFIG. 3A in open condition.

FIG. 4A is a schematic front elevational view of the neck portion of apouch having full-width closure strips.

FIG. 4B is an end elevational view of the strips of FIG. 4A in closedcondition.

FIG. 4C is an end elevational view of the strips of FIG. 4A in opencondition.

FIG. 5A is a schematic front elevational view of the neck portion ofpouch having centered strips of a length less than the full width of theneck portion of the pouch.

FIG. 5B is an end elevational view of the centered strips of FIG. 5A inclosed condition.

FIG. 5C is an end elevational view of the centered strips of FIG. 5A inopen condition.

FIGS. 6A-6D are schematic views illustrating the steps of securing adischarge opening of a drainable ostomy pouch in folded condition.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a further form of drainableostomy pouch at the beginning of a first folding step.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the drainable ostomy pouch of FIG. 7at the commencement of a second folding step.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the drainable ostomy pouch ofFIG. 7 in fully folded condition.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of another form of drainable ostomypouch in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a rear elevational view of the drainable ostomy pouch of FIG.10 in fully unfolded condition.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged and somewhat schematic cross-sectional view ofthe drainable ostomy pouch taken along the line 12—12 in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 12 but showing theneck portion at the beginning of a folding operation. For clarity ofillustration, the walls of the neck portion are shown slightly spacedapart and each is represented only by a single line.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the neck portion of the pouch ofFIG. 10 after a first fold has been made and at the start of a secondfold.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the neck portion of the pouch ofFIG. 10 after a second fold has been made and at the beginning of athird fold.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the neck portion of the pouch ofFIG. 10 in fully folded condition.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a first fastener part associated with one ofthe closure strips on one sidewall of the pouch adjacent to the pouchesdischarge opening.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a second fastener part spaced from thedischarge opening on the opposite sidewall of the pouch of FIG. 10.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged detail view of the engagement elements providedby the first and second fastener parts on opposite sidewalls of thepouch, the engagement elements being shown in disengaged condition.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view similar to FIG. 19 but showing theengagement elements in interlocking relation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral 10 designates adrainable ostomy pouch having generally parallel sidewalls 12 and 14.The sidewalls 12 and 14 are joined along their edges as at 16 to definea cavity therebetween. They also define a downwardly-extending neckportion 18 which terminates in a discharge opening as at 20. The neckportion 18 is shown as non-symmetrical in the drawings although it willbe understood that it can be symmetrical relative to the remainder ofthe pouch as this forms no part of the invention. As shown in thedrawings, each of the sidewalls 12 and 14 of the neck portion 18 isprovided along its outer surface with a transversely-extending andgenerally rectangular bias member in the form of closure strips 22 and24. The strips are located at or adjacent to the discharge opening 20 soas to be in generally overlapping back-to-back parallel relation.

As will be appreciated by referring to FIGS. 3A-3C, the bias members 22and 24 are stiff but flexible, springlike plastic (i.e., polymeric)strips that normally are flat and disposed in straight parallel relationto maintain opening 20 in substantially closed condition. However, theycan be flexed to an open condition by applying inwardly directed fingerpressure to opposite ends of strips 22 and 24 to cause them to be bowedaway from each other with smoothly arched curvatures as shown in FIG.3C. In this manner, the discharge opening can be opened and held in opencondition for draining the contents from the cavity of pouch 10.

Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the drainable ostomy pouch willalso be seen to include a two-part fastener system for selectivelyholding the neck portion 18 in upwardly folded condition as best shownin FIG. 6D. The two-part fastener system includes a first part 26associated with one of the closure strips 24 on one side of the neckportion and a second part 28 at a location spaced from the dischargeopening along the opposite side of the neck portion. The second fastenerpart 28 is spaced from the discharge opening at a distance sufficient torequire folding the neck portion 18 upwardly at least twice (see FIGS.6A-6C). In this manner, the first fastener part 26 is brought intoconfronting relation with the second fastener part 28 for engagementtherewith, selectively holding the neck portion 18 in its upwardlyfolded condition.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first fastener part 26 is associatedwith an outwardly facing surface of the closure strip 24 whereas thesecond fastener part 28 is associated with an outwardly facing surfaceof the opposite wall of the neck portion 18 and substantially conformsin size and shape with closure strip 24. More specifically, the firstand second fastener parts 26 and 28 are advantageously complementarymaterials, one being carried by closure strip 24 across one wall of theneck portion and the other by the outer surface of the other wall of theneck portion which, when interlocked together, have a retention forcefor maintaining the neck in folded condition absent a disengagementforce sufficient to overcome the retention force.

With the arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sidewalls 12 and14 are formed of a flexible plastic film that is substantially water andgas impermeable. One of the sidewalls 14 (the proximal or bodyside wall)is provided with a stoma-receiving opening 32 surrounded by means forattaching the drainable ostomy pouch 10 to a patient. The attachingmeans may take the form of a coupling device generally designated 34provided for detachably securing the drainable pouch 10 to an adhesivefaceplate which together define a two-piece appliance. Alternatively,the pouch may be a one-piece appliance with an integral andnon-separable faceplate.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A, 4A, and 5A, it will be seen that the biasmembers or closure strips 24, 26 may take several different forms suchas the three that have been illustrated and will be described below.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate bias members in the form of asymmetricalclosure strips 22 and 24 which are normally flat and laterally offsetfrom one another so as to be in straight parallel closed condition,i.e., they are adjacent one another separated only by the sidewalls 12and 14 to which they are secured, with one end of each strip projectinglaterally (in relation to neck portion 18) beyond the corresponding endof the other strip. However, the closure strips 22 and 24 can be openedunder inwardly-directed finger pressure applied to opposite ends of thestrips to cause them to be bowed away from each other to hold thedischarge opening 20 in open condition. As shown in FIG. 3C, inwardlydirected finger pressure against the ends 22 a and 24 a causes theopposite ends 22 b and 24 b to bear against the corresponding flatsurfaces 24 c and 22 c of the other of the closure strips 24 and 22,respectively.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate bias members or closure strips 122 and 124which are normally flat, substantially conform with each other in sizeand shape, and extend continuously or uninterruptedly from edge to edgeso as to be in straight parallel closed condition, i.e., adjacent oneanother but separated only by the sidewalls 12 and 14 to which they aresecured. However, the closure strips 122 and 124 can be opened underinwardly-directed finger pressure applied to opposite ends of the stripsto cause them to be bowed away from each other (FIG. 4C) and to hold thedischarge opening in an open condition. As shown in FIG. 4C, inwardlydirected finger pressure against the ends 122 a, 124 a and 122 b, 124 bof the strips causes the corresponding ends 122 a, 124 a and 122 b, 124b to bear against one another to bow the closure strips 122 and 124outwardly for holding the drainage opening 20 in open condition. Unlikethe bias members 22 and 24 illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B which areoffset from one another, the bias members 122 and 124 may need slightmanipulation, or the presence of at least a small amount of wastematerial in the neck portion, to cause them to start being bowed awayfrom each other as endwise squeezing force is applied. FIGS. 5A-5Billustrate bias members in the form of closure strips 222 and 224 whichare normally flat, substantially conform in size and shape, and arecentered, but extend less than the entire distance between the edges ofthe neck portion 18 so as to be in straight parallel closed positions,i.e., adjacent each other but separated only by the sidewalls 12 and 14to which they are secured. As in the embodiment of FIGS. 4A-4C, the biasmembers or closure strips 222 and 224 can be opened under inwardlydirected finger pressure applied to opposite ends of the strips to causethem to be bowed away from each other to hold the discharge opening 20in open position. As shown in FIG. 5C, and in essentially the samemanner as in FIG. 4C, inwardly-directed finger pressure against the ends222 a, 224 a and 222 b, 224 b of the bias members 222 and 224 causes thecorresponding ends 222 a, 224 a and 222 b, 224 b to bear against oneanother to bow the bias members outwardly for holding the drainageopening 20 in open position. Unlike the bias members 22 and 24illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B which are offset from one another, theclosure strips 222 and 224 which are centered relative to the edges mayneed slight manipulation or the presence of at least a small amount ofwaste material in the neck portion to cause them to start being bowedaway from each other so as to open the discharge opening 20 as squeezingforce is applied.

As will be appreciated, FIGS. 3A-3C, 4A-4C, and 5A-5C illustrate threedistinct, but effective, sets of bias members or closure strips forplacing and holding the discharge opening of a drainable ostomy pouch 10in open condition for draining the contents from the cavity thereof.

The closure strips 22,24; 122, 124; and 222, 224 are formed of any stiffbut flexible polymeric material that is springlike and shape-recoverableto serve as bias members that return to straight, parallel and closedconditions in the absence of inwardly-directed finger pressure such as,for example, a polyolefin such as polypropylene. Since the springinessand shape-recoverability of the strips causes them to straighten wheninwardly-directed finger pressure is reduced, a user, by varying suchfinger pressure, may easily and selectively control the rate ofdischarge of waste material through the discharge opening. Each strip isnon-porous and non-absorbent, may be secured to the sidewalls 12 and 14(preferably to the outer surfaces of those sidewalls) or may be imbeddedin such sidewalls. Because such strips are stiff, and non-absorbent,they are readily manipulated in use and are generally incapable ofabsorbing liquid and solid waste material.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second fastener parts 26 and 28comprises a polypropylene fastener of the type sold under the trademarkDUOTEC by G. Binder GmbH & Co. Holzgerlingen, Germany which is stated inproduct literature to work on the principle of interlocking mushroomelements. By using strips of this synthetic material for the first andsecond fastener parts 26 and 28, the discharge opening can be maintainedin closed position (FIG. 6D) absent a disengagement force sufficient toovercome the retention force which produces an auditory and tactiledisengagement indication. FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate that theinterlocking first and second fastener parts 26 and 28 include spacedmushroom-shaped projections that are formed integrally with base layers26 a and 28 a, respectively. Since the two interlocking components areidentical, physically-distinguishable male/female components are notrequired. Also, because no absorbent or fabric-like material isutilized, the opposing surfaces, with their arrays of identicalmushroom-shaped projections, do not absorb waste material and may beeasily cleaned after a pouch-draining operation. Among the attributesfor this material is its ability to provide a solid connection whenpressed firmly together, its characteristic locking action that providesa user with a tactile (also audible) signal when the parts areinterlocked, and its ability to be repeatedly reopened in lengthwise orcrosswise directions. Accordingly, the utilization of fastener partswith identical arrays of mushroom-shaped interlocking elementsconstitutes an important feature of a drainable ostomy pouch embodyingthis invention, although it is to be understood that other types offastening means may be used which lack at least some of the attributesand advantages described above such as, for example, hook and loopfasteners as marketed under the Velcro trademark, various snaps orinterlocking fasteners, or pressure-sensitive adhesive coatings thatpermit repeated separation and reconnection.

Also, while the material utilized in the fastener sold under the DUOTECtrademark is polypropylene, it will be understood that other polymericmaterials having similar properties may be employed.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-6D, the second fastener part 28 is preferablyspaced from the discharge opening 20 by a distance sufficient to requirefolding the neck portion 18 upwardly at least twice to bring the firstfastener part 26 into confronting interlocking relation with the secondfastener part 28 for selectively holding the neck portion 18 in itsupwardly folded condition. FIG. 6A illustrates folding the neck portion18 about a fold line as at 36 extending along the upper or proximaltransverse edges of closure strips 22 and 24. FIG. 6B illustrates theneck portion after completing the fold about fold line 36. FIG. 6Cillustrates a second folding of the neck portion 18 about a secondtransverse fold line 38 after the first fold has been completed. FIG. 6Dillustrates the neck portion 18 after the second fold has been completedto bring the first fastener part 26 into interlocking relation withsecond fastener part 28 for selectively holding the neck portion 18 inits upwardly folded condition.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 is similar to those already discussed exceptthat second fastener part 28 has a width (a dimension extendinglongitudinally and proximally relative to the neck portion 18) that issubstantially greater than that of the first fastener part 26. Secondfastener part 28′, like first fastener part 26, is preferablyrectangular in shape with a distal edge 30 located as before immediatelyadjacent second fold line 38 (FIG. 8). When the neck portion 18 for thepouch is fully folded, as shown in FIG. 9, the second fastener part 28′therefore has a proximal surface portion 29 that remains exposed. Theexposed portion 29 constitutes a proximal and integral extension of part28′ and provides visual and tactile indications that the folding of neckportion 28 has been properly completed, with the second fold 38 locatedimmediately adjacent distal edge 30. In addition, the arrangementclearly exposes the region of the first fold 36 so that a user, bysliding his/her fingers downwardly along the surface of the exposedportion or extension 29, will encounter the second fold 36 and mayeasily commence an unfolding operation. Such contact may be made withoutrisk that a user might otherwise make finger contact with proximal edge31 and attempt to unfold the neck portion 18 by applying a lifting forcedirectly to second fastener part 28′ in an effort to peel it away frompouch wall 12. Another important benefit of utilizing a tough polymericmaterial for fastener part 28′ is that the proximal extension 29, whichis securely attached to wall 12 of the neck portion, acts to distributeforces on the wall of the pouch when the neck portion has been foldedand is in use, thereby reducing localized forces that might, underextreme conditions, result in tearing of the pouch wall 12.

Since extension 29 does not engage fastener part 26 when the pouch neckis fully folded, the surface of the extension 29 may, if desired, besmooth and free of projections or interlockable elements.

As an alternative or addition to the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9, one of thetwo fastener parts may have a dimension measured in a direction acrossthe neck portion 18 of the pouch that is substantially greater than thecorresponding dimension of the other of the fastener parts. With thisarrangement, a user may easily commence an unfolding operation bygripping the ends of the strip of greater dimension and applying a forcefor peeling the strip away from the other fastener part.

Referring to FIGS. 10-12 of the drawings, the numeral 310 designatesanother embodiment of drainable ostomy pouch having generally parallelsidewalls 312 and 314. The sidewalls 312 and 314 are joined along theiredges as at 316 to define a cavity therebetween. They also define adownwardly-extending neck portion 318 which terminates in a dischargeopening as at 320. Each of the sidewalls 312 and 314 in the region ofthe neck portion 318 is provided with a transversely-extending biasmember or closure strip such as those designated as 322 and 324 in thedrawings. The closure strips are located at or adjacent to dischargeopening 320 so as to be in generally parallel back-to-back relation.

Like strips 22 and 24, closure strips 322 and 324 may be formed ofnylon, polypropylene or any other suitable polymeric material thatrenders the strips stiff but flexible, non-absorbent, and generallyspringlike in character. It is to be understood that closure strips 322and 324 may be configured and function in the same manner asthe-described in connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 3A-3C, 4A-4C,and 5A-5C. The size, shape, and composition of strips 322 and 324 may beidentical to strips 22 and 24. They extend transversely across the neckportion 318 at its discharge end and are secured to the outer surfacesof the neck portion, and are normally straight and flat (or planar) butbow outwardly away from each other, and retain such outwardly bowedcondition, as long as endwise squeezing force is applied and maintained.

Immediately above closure strip 324, and similarly secured to the outersurface of sidewall 314, is the first fastener part 326 of a two-partfastener system. First part 326 takes the form of a fastener striphaving outwardly-projecting locking elements which are preferably themushroom-shaped elements described in connection with previousembodiments. In the illustration given, strips 326 and 234 are joined byan integral transversely-extending hinge 336. Perforations may beprovided along the hinge line to facilitate folding of the neck portion,with the hinge 336 constituting the first fold line. It is to beunderstood, however, that while fastener strip 326 and closure strip 324are shown to be connected to each other, they may instead be separateunconnected elements with the hinge line being formed solely by the lineof material of sidewall 314 extending between the strips.

The second fastener part 328 of the two-part fastener system takes theform of a transverse strip with outwardly projecting interlockingelements secured to the outer surface of sidewall 312 well above thedischarge opening 320 of the pouch. In the illustration given, fastenerstrip 328 is spaced above the discharge opening 320 a distanceapproximating the combined width of strips 322, 324 and 326, all threeof which are of similar width. Whereas the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and6A-6D required two folding steps to bring the interlocking elements 26and 28 into alignment and mutual engagement, the embodiment of FIGS.10-12 requires three such folds, thereby offering even greater securityfor the user. Because the fastener parts or strips 326 and 328preferably have interlocking means in the form of interfittingmushroom-shaped elements (see FIGS. 19 and 20), the user receives atactile signal, which may even be audible, when the fastener parts arebrought together and interlocked.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 18, it will be noted that the second fastenerpart 328 includes an integral extension 329 that extends upwardly in adirection away from opening 320. In the preferred embodiment shown,extension 329 is devoid of interlocking elements and presents arelatively smooth untextured surface incapable of interlocking with theprojections of the first fastener part 326. Extension 329 otherwisefunctions in the same manner as described in connection with extension29 of the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 7-9.

FIGS. 13-16 illustrate the three folding steps involved in securing theneck portion 318 in folded and sealed condition. FIG. 13 depictscommencement of the first folding step with the first fold 336 occurringat the line between closure strip 324 and first fastener part or strip326. A second fold as at 338 is formed in the next folding stepillustrated in FIG. 14, and a third and final fold as at 350 occurs asshown in FIGS. 15 and 16 as the interlocking elements of first fastenerpart or strip 326 and second fastener part or strip 328 are broughttogether. Extension 329 remains exposed above the interlocked strips toprovide visual and tactile indications that the folding of the neckportion has been properly completed. As a user slides his/her fingersdownwardly along the surface of extension 329, the fingers willencounter the second fold as at 338 and may easily commence an unfoldingoperation. In addition, the extension 329 performs an important functionin reinforcing sidewall 312 of the neck portion and distributing forcesthat would otherwise be localized along a transverse line of stressdirectly above the upwardly-facing second fold as at 338.

In the description of the foregoing embodiments, it has been indicatedgenerally each of the pouches are formed of flexible plastic film suchthat the sidewalls are joined or sealed together along their edges in aconventional manner. However, it will be understood that each of theseembodiments could be formed in another manner while enjoying thebenefits of the present invention, e.g., by using a continuous tubularplastic film rather than two or more films joined together.

In all embodiments of the invention, the drainable ostomy pouches areprovided with flexible shape-recoverable and non-absorbent closure orstiffening strips extending transversely across each sidewall at oradjacent to the discharge opening at the end of the neck portions. Twoor more folds are required to bring the first and second fastener partsinto interlocking engagement. In all embodiments, such fastener partsare located along opposite sidewalls of the neck portion and haveoutwardly-projecting interlocking elements, ideally in the form ofmushroom-shaped projections. The closure strips at the end of the neckportion facilitate opening of the discharge openings, to hold holdingsuch openings in open condition. The closure strips also facilitatethrottling and thereby controlling the rate of flow of waste materialthrough the openings. The closure strips further define the folds asthey occur and, when folding is substantially completed, help providebulk and stiffness to the folded neck portion to assist a user inbringing the two fastener parts into interlocking engagement. Theinterlocking step is therefore the final step in a sequential foldingoperation with the interlocking occurring at the same time that thefinal fold is completed.

While in the foregoing there have been set forth preferred embodimentsof the invention, it will be appreciated that the details herein givenmay be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from thetrue scope and spirit of the appended claims.

1. A drainable ostomy pouch having sidewalls of flexible sheet materialwhich define a cavity therebetween and which define a downwardlyextending neck portion terminating in a discharge opening that is closedby folding the neck portion upwardly and opened by unfolding the neckportion downwardly for draining the contents from the cavity; whereinthe improvement comprises a transversely-extending bias memberintegrally associated with each of the sidewalls adjacent the dischargeopening such that the bias members are separated by the sidewalls; thebias members normally being flat so as to be in straight parallel closedcondition but being moveable so as to be bowed away from each other andto have smoothly arched curvatures under inwardly directed fingerpressure applied to opposite ends of the bias members to hold thedischarge opening in an open position; the bias members comprising stiffbut flexible, springlike shape-recoverable strips permitting selectivecontrol of the rate of discharge of the contents from the cavity byapplying varying finger pressure to opposite ends thereof; and whereinthe strips are generally rectangular and are offset in directionsextending transversely of the neck portion so that each strip has oneend portion extending beyond the corresponding end portion of the otherof the offset strips.
 2. The drainable ostomy pouch of claims 1,including a two-part fastening system for selectively and releasablyholding the neck portion in upwardly folded condition; the systemincluding a first fastener part located along the outer surface of oneof the sidewalls of the neck portion and a second fastener part locatedalong the outer surface of the other of the sidewalls of the neckportion; the first and second fastener parts being brought into mutualengagement and attachment when the neck portion is in its fully foldedcondition.
 3. The drainable ostomy pouch of claim 2 in which thefastener parts have outwardly-projecting interengagable locking elementsthat are brought into interlocking engagement when the neck portion hasbeen folded upwardly at least twice.
 4. The drainable ostomy pouch ofclaims 3 in which the fastener parts comprise plastic strips that haveinterengageable locking elements that are mushroom-shaped.
 5. Thedrainable ostomy pouch of claim 4 in which the fastener parts onopposite sidewalls of the neck portion have identical mushroom-shapedlocking elements.
 6. The drainable ostomy pouch of claim 3 in which oneof the fastener parts is located closer to the discharge opening thanthe other of the fastener parts; the other of the fastener parts havingan integral extension that is exposed and extends upwardly beyond thefolded neck portion when the neck portion is fully folded.
 7. Thedrainable ostomy pouch of claim 6 in which the integral extension isdevoid of interlocking elements.
 8. A drainable ostomy pouch havingsidewalls of flexible sheet material which define a cavity therebetweenand which define a downwardly-extending neck portion terminating in adischarge opening that is closed by folding the neck portion upwardlyand opened by unfolding the neck portion downwardly for draining thecontents from the cavity; wherein the improvement comprises a two-partfastener system including a first fastener strip secured to the outersurface of the neck portion on one of the sidewalls of flexible sheetmaterial and a second fastener strip secured to the outer surface of theneck portion on the other of the sidewalls of flexible sheet material;the first fastener strip being disposed closer to the discharge openingthan the second fastener strip and defining first and second transversefold lines for folding and unfolding the neck portion to close and openthe discharge opening; the first and second fastener strips havingoutwardly-projecting interlockable elements that are brought intoselective and releasable interlocking engagement when the neck portionhas been folded upwardly at least twice about the first fastener stripto bring the first and second fastener strips into engagement.
 9. Thedrainable ostomy pouch of claim 8 in which the interlockable elements ofthe first and second fastener parts are identical.
 10. The drainableostomy pouch of claim 9 in which the interlockable elements of the firstand second fastener parts are mushroom-shaped.
 11. The drainable ostomypouch of claim 8, 9 or 10 in which the sidewalls of the neck portion areeach provided with a transversely-extending bias member located adjacentthe discharge opening; the bias members normally being flat so as to bein straight parallel closed condition but being openable underinwardly-directed finger pressure applied to opposite ends of the biasmembers to cause the bias members to be bowed away from each other tohold the discharge opening in an open position for draining the contentsfrom the cavity.
 12. The drainable ostomy pouch of claim 11 in which thebias members comprise closure strips of stiff but flexible,non-absorbent, springlike plastic material.
 13. The drainable ostomypouch of claim 12 in which the closure strips are generally rectangularand are offset in directions extending transversely of the neck portionso that each strip has one end portion extending beyond thecorresponding end portion of the other of the strips.
 14. The drainableostomy pouch of claim 12 in which the strips are generally rectangularand conform in size and shape with each strip extending uninterruptablyfrom one side edge to the other side edge of the neck portion.
 15. Thedrainable ostomy pouch of claim 12 in which the strips are generallyrectangular and conform in size and shape, with each strip having alength measured transversely of the neck portion that is less than thewidth of the neck portion; the strips being centered relative to theneck portion and the discharge opening.
 16. The drainable ostomy pouchof claim 8 in which one of the fastener parts is located closer to thedischarge opening than the other of the fastener parts; the other of thefastener parts having an integral extension that is exposed and extendsupwardly beyond the folded neck portion of the pouch when the neckportion is fully folded.
 17. The drainable ostomy pouch of claim 16 inwhich the integral extension is devoid of interlocking elements.